Andrea Gjestvang

«Life goes on. I tell my self this phrase every day. It’s the phrase I hate most on earth».
Tuva Elise Bø (17)
«I bear my scares with dignity, because I got them standing for something I believe in».
Ylva Schwenke (15)
In Norway, the 22nd of July 2011 has etched itself into the collective and private memory forever. That day, a car bomb killed eight people and damaged the executive government quarter in Oslo. Few hours later, 69 young people were executed on a political summer camp on the island of Utøya.
Around 500 managed to escape the massacre. They were hiding in the woods, under beds or they swam and were picked up by locals in boats. More than half of the survivors were children and youths under the age of 19. They were supposed to return to their daily lives and recover. Some were seriously injured and many had witnessed terrible things. They had all experienced something that is impossible for most people to understand.
In 2012 I traveled around Norway and portraited the youths when they were back in their home environments. The adolescence is a time of dreams, aspirations and fantasies. I wanted to find out what happens to a teenager’s life when everyday issues are replaced by the fear of being shot, the loss of friends and siblings, nightmares and physical injuries?